George Weah elected Liberian president

29 December, 2017, 00:37 | Author: Gregory Stephens

George Weah emerged from Liberia's slums to become a superstar footballer in the 1990s, and has leveraged his status as a revered figure among the country's young and poor in his second run for the presidency.

Liberians went to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new President in a run-off vote between Vice-President Joseph Boakai (Left) and former global footballer George Weah (Right).

Voters were choosing a successor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is stepping down after serving 12 years as Africa's first elected female head of state, in the West African country's first democratic transition since 1944.

As news of Mr Weah's victory emerged on Thursday, his supporters began celebrating in the capital Monrovia.

No candidate was able to secure the 50 percent plus one valid votes cast required by law to be elected president in the first round on October 10.

The vote was delayed for seven weeks due to legal challenges lodged by Boakai's Unity Party against the electoral commission over the conduct of the first round of voting. His failure to secure an outright majority forced a run-off.

He entered politics after his retirement from the game in 2002 and is now a senator in Liberia's parliament.

This is the first time in more than 70 years the nation founded by freed American slaves will see one democratically elected government hand power to another. Election officials put turnout at 56%.

But Mr Weah's election is not without controversy, as his running mate is Jewel Taylor, former wife of the warlord and ex-President Charles Taylor, who is serving a jail sentence in the United Kingdom for war crimes.

Taylor is serving his 50-year prison sentence in the United Kingdom for war crimes related to the conflict in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

Recommended:

The companies did not say when users would be able to share music in videos on platforms owned by Facebook . The move comes as Facebook's 2 billion plus users post and view more videos than ever before.

While, it's not confirmed yet if Dror will be designing the bridal gown for the wedding, it is certain that she's in the running. Unfortunately for us, we probably will still have to wait until the 19th May to see what she finally picks.

In 1955, a Colorado Springs-based Sears, Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. The website is available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.

The FAU Owls (10-3) are set to take on a big underdog in the University of Akron (7-6) Tuesday Night 12/19, 7 pm EST on ESPN. The team went undefeated in conference play and that has prompted the school to approach Kiffin about a new contract.

The Obamas have been touted as likely invitees to Prince Harry's forthcoming wedding to Meghan Markle . In an upcoming special for BBC Radio 4's Today , Prince Harry got the chance to interview former U.S.

The Japanese gaming giant originally planned to deliver 64GB cartridges to developers by the second half of 2018. Nintendo is delaying the 64GB Nintendo Switch cartridges to the third-party game developers until 2019.

Another ticket in the same draw, with six of the seven numbers matching, won $219,000 and was purchased in Kelowna and Vancouver. Two winning guaranteed $1 million prize tickets were sold in Ontario - one in Chatham and one in the Bowmanville area.

The White House did not dispute the thrust of the conversation in question, but but said Trump had not used such language. The White House issued a swift denial of the comments on Saturday, calling the claims made by the Times "outrageous".

Second-year cornerback Eli Apple , the No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 draft, has made himself into a lightning rod for criticism. Apple said the next day that he had not spoken to Collins about anything. "That first-round pick. he's a cancer", Collins said.

Plummer's trial started in the town of Safaga on Monday with what her lawyers described as a mistaken confession. Her sister, Rachel Plummer, said the family's hopes now hinged on the outcome of the appeal.

He equaled the record of David Miller , who achieved the feat against Bangladesh at Potchefstroom in October 2017. Nuwan Pradeep and Thisara Perera bagged two wickets each while Dushmantha Chameera managed to get one wicket.

Moscow subway bus crash kills four people
The harrowing video shows a number of people appearing to be crushed by the bus as it disappears into the subway. He said the bus had been towed off the pedestrian underground passage and the rescue operation was now complete.

Owner of dogs that killed Kentucky woman charged
Bell County Sheriff Mitch Williams is asking the community to be alert and on the lookout for a brown pit bull. Deputies said 66-year-old Lorraine Brock Saylor and her husband were "savagely attacked" by pit bulls.

Prince William & Kate Middleton Aren't Fans of This 'Toy'
But before you send out a search party, we're pretty sure Kate's arm is just behind either her own or William's back. The portrait, taken at Kensington Palace earlier this year, will appear on Kate and William's Christmas cards.

Bengals head coaching rumors: 5 candidates to watch
Marvin Lewis will reportedly be leaving the Cincinnati Bengal after the 2017 season after 15 years as the team's head coach. COLUMN: Could Bengals go the way of post-Dusty Reds? The Bengals (5-8) are scheduled to visit the Vikings (10-3) at 1 p.m.